JACK MCAULIFFE
Emotions in Sports: How Perseverance Can Lead to Joy
Students in Tiziana Rozzo's digital photography class took on a photojournalism project that tasked them with telling a story through images. Throughout the summer, we’ll be sharing some of those projects. Today we hear from Jack McAuliffe ’29, who explored the emotional highs and lows of athletics.
Sports spark indescribable emotions that are rarely recreated anywhere else. Some recent examples at the professional level include Tyrese Haliburton tearing his achilles in the NBA championship and having to watch his team lose, or Gary Woodland going through a brain surgery to then winning a recent PGA tour event in Houston. These moments are what make sports so enjoyable and entertaining. Their emotions seen on television humanize them and allow patrons to relate to them, and there are even more emotions athletes and their fans feel that are not televised.
Personally, it makes it possible for me to be able to relate to world-famous athletes like Jayson Tatum, Connor McDavid, and so many more as they deal with human emotions we have all felt, and something I can relate to in particular after going through a long injury process to make a healthy return.
When I broke my collarbone at the start of my 8th grade hockey season, I felt disappointed and angry that I was unable to play. However, weeks after I broke my collarbone, I felt the need to stay a part of the team even though I couldn’t play. I showed up to games, practices, and meetings to feel included.
I felt most included when I began to take photos of my team. Mainly I was taking pictures of celebrations or action photos of them. It was wonderful to be able to stay connected to my team even with being injured. This period, however, was also frustrating because while I loved taking pictures, I still loved playing more. When I was able to come back and play I never took it for granted. I also couldn’t stop smiling because I felt even closer with my team than I did before my injury.
My classmate George Thom '29 had a similar experience to me. George is an aspiring football player at Avon Old Farms who began playing at a young age in his hometown of Darien. He has an unfortunate past with knee injuries, having already had multiple surgeries. He stated that his favorite moment in his sports career was being recognized at his 8th grade football banquet as someone who battled through adversity and came out victorious also winning the championship. "I feel like sports are a getaway from real life," George told me. "Playing football feels like the best thing in the world after not being able to play for so long."
Throughout these pictures I capture emotions from agony and defeat, to concentration and focus, and eventually to celebration. I captured photos that portrayed tired, angry, and disappointed athetes and coaches. I captured the grind phase of sports, capturing images that display determination. Finally, I included photos that display the art of joy in sports. I hope that together, the photos I've taken teach the viewer that emotions in sports are not limited to the celebrations you see after a championship. They can come in many different ways.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Jack McAuliffe Darien, CT Advanced Digital Photography with teacher Tiziana Rozzo |
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